Man Throws a Cocktail at His Neighbor, Then Appears to Catch Himself on Fire
An Albuquerque man accused of throwing a homemade firebomb at his neighbor’s home apparently had one more bottle ready to go.
Then something went wrong.
Security-camera footage obtained by KRQE shows a man identified as 28-year-old Jonathan Griego lighting a bottle and throwing it toward a neighbor’s window while people were inside.
The bottle smashes against the home with a burst audible on the recording. The neighbor later told Albuquerque police she heard the boom and went outside.
What she reported seeing next added another turn to a case that eventually ended with an hour-long SWAT standoff.
Another Bottle
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KRQE reported that the bottle contained gasoline and had been fitted with a makeshift wick.
After hearing the impact, the neighbor went outside and saw Griego appearing to prepare another bottle for throwing, according to the station’s account of the police investigation.
Instead, Griego appeared to catch fire himself.
Police eventually arrested him following an approximately hour-long SWAT standoff. KRQE reported that a judge has ordered Griego held pending trial. No trial date has been set.
Not The First
The dispute was not the first time Griego had become involved in a criminal case connected to a neighbor.
In February, a woman at his previous apartment complex accused Griego of entering her backyard and shooting her dog in the face with a BB gun.
The dog survived.
Griego faced an animal-cruelty charge in that case, but KRQE reported the charge was later dropped after a witness did not appear in court.
There was an earlier case involving another neighbor’s pet.
A Deadly History
In 2021, Griego was arrested after shooting and killing a neighbor’s cat in front of his then-3-year-old son, according to KRQE.
He pleaded guilty in that case and received one year of probation.
The current case remains pending. Griego is presumed innocent of the charges against him unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
